Story Tips from the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, January 2019

Genevieve Martin and Jenny Woodbery/Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Energy

Oak Ridge National Laboratory scientists have automated part of the process of producing plutonium-238, which is used by NASA to fuel deep space exploration. Resolving this key bottleneck will help boost annual production of the radioisotope towards NASA’s goal of 1.5 kilograms of Pu-238 per year by 2025.

Credit: Genevieve Martin and Jenny Woodbery/Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Energy

Oak Ridge National Laboratory scientists have automated part of the process of producing plutonium-238, which is used by NASA to fuel deep space exploration. Resolving this key bottleneck will help boost annual production of the radioisotope towards NASA’s goal of 1.5 kilograms of Pu-238 per year by 2025.

Credit: Dr. Amir Jafari-Salim/Hypres

Oak Ridge National Laboratory and digital superconductor company Hypres designed a layout of four memory cells with different parameters. Their study of cryogenic memory cell circuit designs may boost storage while using less energy in future exascale and quantum computing applications.

Credit: Dr. Amir Jafari-Salim/Hypres

A fabricated single-bit memory design on a chip developed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Hypres demonstrated write, read and reset memory operations occurring on the same circuit.

ORNL researchers used high-resolution electron microscopy to show that nitrogen-doped carbon with atomically dispersed manganese can enhance the performance and durability of low-cost platinum-free polymer electrolyte fuel cells, an important step towards use of such fuel cells in transportation applications.

Credit: Kemp Plumb/Brown University and Genevieve Martin/Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Energy

Neutrons reveal a striking pattern of connected “bow ties” that is characteristic of the emergent electron motion in the quantum spin liquid state, observed in a three-dimensional material belonging to a class of minerals used in a wide range of technological applications.

Nuclear—Deep space travel

By automating the production of neptunium oxide-aluminum pellets, Oak Ridge National Laboratory scientists have eliminated a key bottleneck when producing plutonium-238 used by NASA to fuel deep space exploration. Pu-238 provides a constant heat source through radioactive decay, a process that has powered spacecraft such as Cassini and the Mars Rover. “Automating part of the Pu-238 production process is helping push annual production from 50 grams to 400 grams, moving closer to NASA’s goal of 1.5 kilograms per year by 2025,” said ORNL’s Bob Wham. “The automation replaces a function our team did by hand and is expected to increase the output of pressed pellets from 80 to 275 per week.” Once the pellets are pressed and enclosed in aluminum tubing, they are irradiated at ORNL’s High Flux Isotope Reactor and chemically processed into Pu-238 at the Radiochemical Engineering Development Center. In 2012, NASA reached an agreement with the Department of Energy to restart production of Pu-238, and ORNL was selected to lead the project. [Contact: Jason Ellis, (865) 241-5819; ellisjk@ornl.gov]

Caption: Oak Ridge National Laboratory scientists have automated part of the process of producing plutonium-238, which is used by NASA to fuel deep space exploration. Resolving this key bottleneck will help boost annual production of the radioisotope towards NASA’s goal of 1.5 kilograms of Pu-238 per year by 2025. Credit: Genevieve Martin and Jenny Woodbery/Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Energy

Supercomputing—Memory boost

Scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Hypres, a digital superconductor company, have tested a novel cryogenic, or low-temperature, memory cell circuit design that may boost memory storage while using less energy in future exascale and quantum computing applications. The team used Josephson junctions made from niobium and aluminum-based materials, fabricated at Hypres, for the single-bit memory design on a chip and demonstrated write, read and reset memory operations occurring on the same circuit. “The test showed the viability of memory processing functions to operate faster and more efficiently,” ORNL’s Yehuda Braiman said. “This could lead to substantially decreased access energies and access times and allow for more circuits to occupy less space.” Building on the initial design, ORNL’s Braiman, Niketh Nair and Neena Imam continue working on multi-valued memory cell circuits and large arrays of memory cells. Their first step was a ternary memory cell circuit design, which was published in Superconductor Science and Technology. [Contact: Sara Shoemaker, (865) 576-9219; shoemakerms@ornl.gov]

Caption: Oak Ridge National Laboratory and digital superconductor company Hypres designed a layout of four memory cells with different parameters. Their study of cryogenic memory cell circuit designs may boost storage while using less energy in future exascale and quantum computing applications. Credit: Dr. Amir Jafair-Salim/Hypres

Caption: A fabricated single-bit memory design on a chip developed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Hypres demonstrated write, read and reset memory operations occurring on the same circuit. Credit: Dr. Amir Jafair-Salim/Hypres

Buildings—On-the-go HVAC check

Technicians can access a free tool developed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory to support the installation and repair of heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, particularly when using new refrigerants. Researchers at ORNL have launched a mobile app called fProps to quickly check fluid properties such as refrigerant, coolant and air while installing or repairing HVAC equipment in commercial and residential buildings. Users specify inputs for each property and a wizard then guides through the module within the tool. “With fProps, technicians have at their fingertips a way to evaluate air, coolant, refrigerants and capacity calculation functions,” said ORNL’s Bo Shen. “This tool also provides additional support for professionals using new low global warming potential refrigerants in HVAC systems.” The fProps app is a pilot program, and additional modules can be added in the future based on interest. [Contact: Jennifer Burke, (865) 576-3212; burkejj@ornl.gov]

Oak Ridge National Laboratory scientists studying fuel cells as a potential alternative to internal combustion engines used sophisticated electron microscopy to investigate the benefits of replacing high-cost platinum with a lower cost, carbon-nitrogen-manganese-based catalyst. “We used electron microscopy to demonstrate that atomically dispersed manganese can act as an oxygen reduction reaction catalyst while also increasing durability,” said ORNL’s David Cullen. Fuel cell technologies hold promise for use in vehicles because of their high-power density, low operating temperature and carbon-free emissions. Yet, the high cost associated with platinum-based catalysts and insufficient durability of alternative platinum-free catalysts remains a market barrier. “Our team’s finding could open up the potential for widespread use in transportation and other energy conversion applications,” said Cullen. ORNL researchers were part of a team that produced the results published inNature Catalysis.[Contact: Jennifer Burke, (865) 576-3212; burkejj@ornl.gov]

Caption: ORNL researchers used high-resolution electron microscopy to show that nitrogen-doped carbon with atomically dispersed manganese can enhance the performance and durability of low-cost platinum-free polymer electrolyte fuel cells, an important step towards use of such fuel cells in transportation applications. Credit: Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Energy

Neutrons—Quest for QSLs

Researchers used neutron scattering at Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Spallation Neutron Source to investigate bizarre magnetic behavior, believed to be a possible quantum spin liquid rarely found in a three-dimensional material. QSLs are exotic states of matter where magnetism continues to fluctuate at low temperatures instead of “freezing” into aligned north and south poles as with traditional magnets. “If you could shrink down to see what individual electrons are doing, it would seem as though nothing special was going on,” said Kemp Plumb of Brown University. “But, when you zoom out, a beautiful collective pattern emerges signifying a new phase of matter that hasn’t been seen before.” Observations of the material’s quantum behavior are consistent with the theoretical models. This indicates the material has the right ingredients for fractionalized magnetic excitations that could be harnessed for future quantum information technologies. The research was published inNature Physics. [Contact: Jeremy Rumsey, (865) 576-2038; rumseyjp@ornl.gov]

Caption: Neutrons reveal a striking pattern of connected “bow ties” that is characteristic of the emergent electron motion in the quantum spin liquid state, observed in a three-dimensional material belonging to a class of minerals used in a wide range of technological applications. Credit: Kemp Plumb/Brown University and Genevieve Martin/Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Energy

Four SUNCAT scientists describe recent research results related to the quest to capture CO2 from the smokestacks of factories and power plants and use renewable energy to turn it into industrial feedstocks and fuels.

Because of topological insulators' unique electronic properties and their potential use in spintronic devices and even conceivably as transistors for quantum computers, scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory investigated the dynamics of the conducting surface electrons in these materials.

Marketed as a healthier alternative to cigarettes, a new class of tobacco products called heat-not-burn devices is quickly gaining in popularity across the globe. A study by Berkeley Lab's Indoor Environment Group shows that

In a recent study, scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory have created a miniaturized chip-based superconducting circuit that couples quantum waves of magnetic spins called magnons to photons of equivalent energy.

Researchers in Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's Center for Advanced Mathematics for Energy Research Applications have been working with beamline scientists at Brookhaven National Laboratory to develop and test SMART, a mathematical method that enables autonomous experimental decision making without human interaction.

To learn more about the chemical processes in oil paints that can damage aging artwork, a team led by researchers at the National Gallery of Art and the National Institute of Standards and Technology conducted a range of studies that included 3D X-ray imaging of a paint sample at Berkeley Lab's Advanced Light Source.

Scientists at SLAC and Stanford have made the first nickel oxide material that shows clear signs of superconductivity - the ability to transmit electrical current with no loss. The first in a potential new family of unconventional superconductors, its similarity to the cuprates raises hopes that it can be made to superconduct at relatively high temperatures.

UPTON, NY--The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory has collaborated with the Girl Scouts of Suffolk County to organize a new patch program that encourages Girl Scouts of all ages to delve into the world of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Starting today, Suffolk County Girl Scouts can earn three new Brookhaven Lab patches.

Chain Reaction Innovations, the entrepreneurship program at Argonne National Laboratory, is expanding beyond advanced manufacturing and now open to any technology area that can be accelerated to market by leveraging resources available at Argonne.

Scientists at the Department of Energy's Fermilab have announced that they achieved the highest magnetic field strength ever recorded for an accelerator steering magnet, setting a world record of 14.1 teslas, with the magnet cooled to 4.5 kelvins or minus 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

The Chain Reaction Innovations (CRI) program is demonstrating impact in moving energy innovation tech to market as its first cohort leaves Argonne. CRI innovators have raised more than $12.5 million in funding since the program began.

Two scientists from Argonne National Laboratory have earned prestigious Early Career Research Program awards from the Department of Energy's Office of Science. The award is $2.5 million over five years for early career scientists to advance their research.

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Based on an extensive study across environments, from mixed conifer forest to high-desert grassland, the team suggests that microbes aren't so different from larger, more complex forms of life. That is, in determining species traits, nature takes the lead, while nurture plays a supporting role.

Some metals need to be protected from the atmosphere. Exposure leads to damage that ruins their unique properties. Controllably forming metal islands just under the surface of graphite protects the metals. This allows these metals to take on new roles in ultrafast quantum computers. It also means new roles in magnetic, catalytic, or plasmonic materials.

Scientists devised specialized X-ray mapping techniques. They determined that boundaries associated with regions where atoms are closely packed together most readily resist cracking. This analysis revealed that when a crack encounters such a boundary, it's deflected to a less direct path and crack growth is slowed.